Anyone ever sawn in a river????????

[Part_Timer]

A friend of mine called tonight and said that there were 3 or 4 logs/trees washed up in the river in  front of his place.  Rick told me that he didn't have a tape but they waded out and they were up to his belt buckle in diameter. (Ricks 6'2").  Maybe 12-14' long

He was wonder if we could just saw them where they layed in the river since the bank is fairly heavly wooded.

I've not seen the logs yet but I'm planning on a trip round the end of the month.

Anyone ever done this before?

[Fla._Deadheader]

Might consider the sawdust in the water as a contaminate  : : : :

  I woodn't hesitate.  ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Shawn]

We have a pond with fish and when its feeding time they'll grab anything on the surface. Keep that in mind as that sawdust is floating down the river.
Shawn...

[Lud]

I thought fiber was good for ya! :D :D :D

[kderby]

Round here you can throw a rock across the river.  I've never been around a big river but I have a story and want others to expand on it.

Seems down in California when a tree falls into the river it is fair game.  The story I heard was that a big redwood (big money) was floating by.  The individual grabbed it and anchored it to his shoreline.  Later when he was set up, he moved the log(s) down stream to a boat ramp and hauled them to shore and milled them.

I expect that in California that probably violated a number of governmental edicts.  I doubt that he did any public comment periods or studies.  I'll even bet he did not pay any taxes for using the mill that he payed taxes on when he purchased it....but I digress :D :D :D

As I don't have this opportunity in my area it interests me to see and hear these stories.  My suggestion for Part Timer would be to move the trees to where he can get them out of the water and cut them safely on his schedule.   

If you are going to cut in the river use vegetable oil for your bar oil!  Even anti-regulatory types have to exercise some good judgement and environmental sensitivity!

Good luck eh?

KD

[Bro. Noble]

Oh NO!!!,  Now someone is gonna bring up those giant redwoods that are sunken off the coast of California :

[Onthesauk]

I know someone in our area who once bought 40 acres of river bottom, primarily to salvage the logs out of two big log jams.  Figured it would pretty much pay for the property.  River has since shifted, can't get to any of the 40 acres and it's been desiginated a Wild and Scenic River so you can't touch anything within 100 feet of it.

[ohsoloco]

Swing_Blade_Andy told a nice story about sawing in a river.  I really enjoyed reading it, and managed to find it as well.  It's in this thread:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=13115.0

[Dan_Shade]

I wouldn't take a high dollar saw into the middle of a river.  it's probably not that bad to roll the logs out if you want them

[Part_Timer]

Thanks guys.

Just to help witha  couple of emails I got today.  We did check with the DNR and that is the only river/creek  left in the state state that the property owner owns to the middle of it.  There is no right of way issue there.

I also check on the river behind the house and was sent to the corp of engineers and they said that we can pull (not cut down) anything that is blocking the river as long as we pull all of it out and not leave the tops to make a bigger mess.

It's a small river not over 50'-60' wide just real trashy on the banks.

Thanks for the link to Andy's story

I have no fear of taking the Peterson into the river.  We'll wait till it is low enough not to drown the power head.  If they can pull one with a donkey I can mill in the river. ;) :D

If we do the job we'll take lots of pictures maybe even a video.

Tom

[Kelvin]

Speaking of salvage rights, here in michigan a company figured out how to recover large logs from lake superior that were in really good condition from the logging days.  When the state found out they decided that they were actually the owners of all logs on the lake bottoms and that you needed to pay them 50% of the value to salvage them.  Great idea eh?  They still do it, and a number of companies have got in on it around the state, but that just burns me up.  Something that has been considered trash, that nobody is interested in doing the work to recover, is all of a sudden considered very valuable once you figure out a way to salavage them.  If they weren't such a big operation i would make sure nobody saw me recovering any logs.  Let them prove it. 

[StevePH]

I tend towards Dan-Shades' opinion that I wouldnt take the mountain to Mohamet.
As to the State exerting undue control over what should be a public resource, here in Western Australia we are pretty well surrounded by forest and yet we have to buy a license to cut firewood and only in certain areas. :( Plus if you cut the wood on a private property you can be fined by CALM (conservation and land management) for illegally havesting timber:o (this even applies to farmers).  PLUS if you cut the wood into lengths not logs ie for planking later you will be fined because that needs another kind of license >:(.
This all leads to the "if you dont see me do it you cant prove it" mentality and to normally law-abiding blokes risking fines loss of vehicles and custodial sentences.

[kderby]

"This all leads to the "if you dont see me do it you cant prove it" mentality and to normally law-abiding blokes risking fines loss of vehicles and custodial sentences. "

Quote from StevenPH. 

This behavior is occuring in the Western USA as well.  Regulations are designed to protect people from themselves and others.  But when rules are written they can not cover every situation.  So in regular fashion the regulations look absurd.  ("no tree with green needles shall be cut" even if it blew over and is blocking the road???)

This week a government agency is buying, from me, a product that they will not sell to me in raw form.  It is fence material and they have not legally sold me a stick of this material for three years.  Instead I buy the raw material from people who show up in my yard.  I pay cash and don't ask where they get it.  Does this make me as evil as the persons who traffic poached elephant ivory?  I want to be law abiding.  When regulations require that I need a permit to breath air.  If I don't have access to the permit officer or money for the fees, do I stop breathing?

I hope part timer has a safe and interesting time milling the tree and I appreciate that he asked the state about its legal availability.  If everyone were pillaging the riverbaks the collective we might have a problem.  If he is willing to work hard to recover useful lumber from an unusual location, I hope that we say more power to him rather finding a regulation or a tax to place upon him.

For a little more of this type of concern, click over to the Forestry and Logging section and the thread USFS as a log source?

Cheers from KD

[Modat22]

Ya know, I'd sure love to see a woodmizer mounted on a pontoon boat. That would make one good dang shop poster.

[Shawn]

Kelvin,

If the goverment can tax it you can have it. Look at booze, tobacco, and gambling. Now they would like to figure out a way to tax drugs and brothel's.

[Part_Timer]

Steve Welcome to the forum you'll have a good time here.


Kderby  I wish you were closer.  Thanks

Modat22  I don't know about a WM but I have a picture in my head of a WPF swing blade on     pontoons. Think about it for a minute.  Now that would be a blast.

I know that it would be the normal way to pull the logs out of the river but sometimes normal just won't feed the bulldog.   :D  sometimes it's all about the adventure.

Tom

[Swing_blade_Andy]

Hiya Guys
Gee I'm quite flattered that someone remembered my River Rat/wood hound story.
That was a crazy but great time.  The Lucas is about the only mill tough enough to do that sort of 'plain loco' stuff. But of course you need an Bloke who is also a bit mad and dead georgous log to catch his attention.

I'm hearing and agreeing with the safety and the envoronmental care angles but its still doable. I don't know about the Us but In Ireland I drew a crowd of most appreciative onlookers who did'nt for a moment think that it was possible to mill a 1.6 meter diamet log in a river.

Well I did, and the rest is history.

Still got some of the boards and a centre slab - that'll be a table with a story to tell.

So just get that mill out and make it hummmm even if you have to spalsh about to do that... its good craic.

Then, unlike me, make sure that some one takes some pics so that the rest of us can live through the moment as well... its food for the spirit and prove that it actually happened.

Anyway.... thanks again for remembering me

I'll look in again in a while.

Cheers

Andrew

[Fla._Deadheader]

Came real close today.  ;D ;D  Rained fairly hard all day. At one time, for about 2 hours, there was water running right in my walk path, 4" deep and 2' wide.  :D :D :D :D  Talk about muddy and the suction kept trying to pull my boots off.  :D :D :D

  I'm havin so much fun here, I feel quilty that y'all can't join me. Too much fun for one Gringo.  :D :D :D